Book Quest
by Summer Eclair
Summary: AU. "Y-your name... What- name uhmm..." he mumbled unintelligently, realizing what he said, he used the book from his other hand to cover the half of his face, his eyes staring bashfully at the puzzled girl. She comprehends his words until she finally understood it. "Juvia..." her teeth appeared as her smile widened into a cheeky grin. "Juvia Lockser."
1. Chapter 1

**a/n: hello :) This is my first Gruvia fic and I hope you enjoy reading this cute story. Okay this will be full of fluff and everything nice and sweet :) Ugh, a lot of fics are posted in here and they're all about Gray's incident (LOL, I wouldn't call it 'Death' read Ft 335, now ^^ ) Beware because there are some grammar, spelling etc. errors, Im still learning ^U^ and this maybe a little OC, so please enjoy~**

* * *

Gray groaned grumpily as he leaned his back on the wall. He was having his lunch with his frenemy, Natsu Dragneel, when the pinkette asked him a favor. _Politely._

The Dark-haired teen smirked knowingly when he realized what was the reason why Natsu asked him... _politely._

Natsu's been dating._ The boy is finally a man,_ some of their friends teased. At first, Gray ignored the fact that Natsu was changing, little by little actually. It didn't surprise him much, of course, dating is so new to his frenemy.

Gray furrowed his brows, thinking quietly as Natsu busied himself on his lunch.

He asked him to get something in the library, what could be this guy's plan?

"Gray! Im asking you politely!" Natsu shouted, a faint pink on his cheeks.

"Not until you say the magic word." Gray replied cooly, whistling as he glanced down at the school grounds.

Natsu's face was quickly covered with disgust. "No way!"

Gray shrugged and started to walk towards the door. "Fine, flame-brain."

Natsu frowned, hesitating at the thought of saying that_ 'magic word'._

_Dammit._

The pinkette stood up and inhaled deeply.

Gray finally closed the door that leads to the roof top when he heard something hit it.

_'He's throwing his shoe again'_ he grunted lazily.

_"Please!_" Shouted Natsu from the other side, throwing the other pair of shoe as well. "_Please_! You freaking Ice princess!"

._..Bingo! _And Gray made his way on the library.

* * *

BOOK QUEST

* * *

It was actually horrible to be labeled as a 'delinquent' and if the truth is, you're not actually one.

It was not new to Gray anymore as he made his way to their school's main library.

Some of the students were eyeing him curiously, some were watching him as if he is a new discovered specie. But most of them, which Gray actually enjoys, were staring at him like he did something horrible, fear appearing on their faces.

It's actually one of the good things being a bad boy. Okay, a _bad boy_ only not a delinquent or some gang member.

Well he love to fight with Natsu and to some of their friends.

By the time that he entered the room, Gray felt the urge to smack the nearest table and make a huge cuss to make sure that everyone will be scared.

Oh, after all library is home to those intelligent, bright kids. He hated going in there.

Those students always spends their free time in here, and he is really not so 'in' in that group.

Well he always get some pretty high scores but he like to keep it to himself and he's not the type to shout it out to everyone so they could all ogle at him.

As he walked at one of the isles, he remembered why Natsu asked him to do this. Heh, that flame-ass was banned in here.

Well the pinkette only made a scene inside the library. It took all of the guy's courage to confess his feelings to Lucy who is currently staying at the library that time, shouting at the top of his lungs: "Hey Luce! Let's go out!" with a fist slammed on a table.

After that, the head librarian quickly banned him from entering the library.

_'That moron...' _he thought unconsciously, blowing at his dark fringes.

Gray never thought that Natsu would be interested in books, well maybe Lucy influenced him.

He stopped at a particular section and began scanning the books.

Unfortunately, he has been looking from shelf to shelf but the damn book was nowhere to be seen! He is slowly getting more and more irritated.

"What are you looking for?"

He turned at the direction of the voice, head whipping to his left.

There stood a girl. Her hair was incredibly in a beautiful shade of blue, _it's warm and nice,_ he thought. It's length stopped right on her chest, flowing in soft waves. He did not realized how long he had been staring at her, unconsciously thinking of running his fingers on those locks.

His eyes next found her face, it was small and her eyes caught his attention. It shared the same color of her hair only darker and deep and it reminds him of a cat's eyes. It looked so big that he felt like drowning himself inside. She blinked and his eyes traveled down on her button nose which is _cute_, then to her lips which a small, patient smile was plastered.

Her skin is so pale, and it reminded him of snow, but her cheeks were dusted with redness.

"Hello?" she spoke softly, waving her small, thin hand in front of his face.

Gray blinked distractedly and the spell broke.

"May I help you?" she smiled warmly.

And oh, Gray's eyes were hurt. What a bright smile.

He coughed and looked away, "Sure."

The girl nodded, waiting for him to tell some information about the book he's searching for, but the dark-haired guy didn't get it.

He stared at her for a full minute. "What?" he frowned. "Do I look funny to you?"

"N-no!" the girl squeaked quietly, her cheeks flushing. "Juvia's not even l-laughing..."

_Juvia?_

She shook her head, her hair flying on every direction. "May I know what book are you looking for?"

He nodded, frowning lightly as he handed the paper that Natsu gave him earlier.

She placed her index finger on her bottom lip thoughtfully. "I think it was placed on the counter." she gestured towards were the student-librarian was.

He nodded again, walking past her as she offered him another smile.

"Thanks." he muttered.

Her eyes followed him until he disappeared from a corner, a smile was still plastered on her face.

His eyes caught the yellow sash that was wrapped on her sleeved arm. 'library-assistant' it says.

_She's helping in here?_ He made his way on the counter until another blue-haired girl greeted him.

"Gray! Im happy to see you!" chirped Levy, clasping her hands together when she saw her friend. "It's rare for you uhmm, to be in here." she giggled, but after seeing the scowl on his face, she regretted saying it.

"Yeah, whatever." he scoffed as he placed the paper on the desk. The petite girl smiled as she plucked it up and read it to herself.

"Im sure it's here." she frowned as she stood up and looked at Gray. "Wait for a while." Levy began browsing at the remaining shelves behind her.

It actually made him happy to see her too. The small circle of friends that they formed back in their midschool is pretty important to him. They're all his nakama, they hang out together if they have some free time but due to their busy and different classes in their freshman year, they no longer see each other as often as before.

"How's it?" a soft voice snapped him out of his thoughts. He blinked and looked to his side and saw the student-assistant from earlier.

"Levy's looking for it." he flushed, surprised to see her. He placed both of his elbow on the counter as he turned his face away from her.

The said girl furrowed her brows together. After a few seconds she heaved a sigh, placing the stacks of books on the counter.

_I guess he doesn't like me._ She thought bitterly.

The blue-haired girl was already used to it. No one actually likes a dull girl like her. It's not new to her that if she wanted to help anyone they'll just ignore her the next time and so on.

"I see..." she shrugged and Levy returned with the book on her hand, waving it.

"Yosh! Here it is!" she grinned, "Alright your card?" she placed her hand in front of Gray, asking for his borrowers card.

"...Card?" he looked at her skeptically.

Levy stared at him unbelievably, "Borrowers card Gray."

"I don't have one." he frowned.

The petite girl crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Im sorry Gray, but you need one to borrow a book."

"Crap," he hissed, smacking his head mentally.

"Here," the girl beside him offered Levy a card. "You can use it." she smiled.

After signing the card, Levy smiled at Juvia who accepted the book gratefully.

_What the hell? He's the one who borrowed it first, how could she steal it!_ He panicked inside his head.

"You can have it now," smiled the girl. "Just return it tomorrow at the same time." she offered him the book, looking at her toes.

_Perhaps... this would do_. Juvia thought positively.

Gray accepted it, eyes's wide and his cheeks flushing brightly.

_She used her card so he could borrow it. She'll take responsibility so he could have it._

_That's nice..._

A painful tug on his chest made him flinch as she lifted her face up to him. She's smiling again.

"T-thank you..." he stammered bashfully.

Another tug and he felt like placing his hand on top of his chest, because Mavis, it hurts! But it felt so wonderful at the same time.

"No problem." she grinned, obviously happy at the fact that she helped her fellow student.

She turned her back on him, preparing to leave.

Gray's hand shot up automatically, snatching the sleeves of her blouse. His thumb and index finger pinching the cloth lightly.

Juvia turned her face to him, puzzled. Her eyes first landed on the fingers pinching her sleeves then to the thick arm and finally to his flushing face.

"...eto," she mumbled confusedly, looking at his hand and back to his face again. "Do you need anything else?"

Gray lowered his head first, his dark bangs covering his eyes.

_Crap, I need to say something!_

"Y-your name... What- name uhmm..." he mumbled unintelligently, realizing what he said, he used the book from his other hand to cover the half of his face, his eyes staring bashfully at the puzzled girl.

Juvia's brows shot upward, her blue eyes staring back at him with wide, innocence.

_Fuck, didn't I heard it already?_ He mentally banged his head on the nearest wall.

The girl looked worriedly at him, she glanced once again on his fingers, unwilling to let her sleeve go.

She comprehends his words until she finally understood it.

Another soft, warm smile and she faced him fully.

"_Juvia..._" her teeth appeared as her smile widened into a cheeky grin. "_Juvia Lockser."_

She lifted her free hand to him, indicating to shake hands with him.

He slowly let go of her sleeve, accepting her offered hand.

Their hands grasped each other carefully. Juvia blushed at the contact while Gray... felt another tug on his heart.

_"Gray Fullbuster."_ and he shook their intertwined hands.

* * *

_So... what do you think? :)_


	2. Chapter 2

Their hands grasped each other carefully, Juvia blushed while Gray... felt another tug on his heart.

"Gray Fullbuster..."

Juvia beamed thankfully at him. "Uhmm, How long are you going to shake your hands?" Levy asked, looking at Gray then to Juvia.

The bookworm gave her dark-haired friend a knowing smile. Gray coughed awkwardly, blushing even more. Juvia on the other hand giggled behind her small hand as the boy released it.

"Well then... See you around."

Gray nodded silently, scratching the back of his head. "Yeah,"

Juvia was about to make her fifth step when Gray called her.

"In what class are you?" he half-shouted, forgetting where he was.

Gray nervously looked around, he didn't know that he had been holding his breath for a minute. _It's weird._

He glanced behind him and saw Levy shooting him a pointed stare. "Not here, Gray!" she squeaked, whispering.

Juvia bit her bottom lip. "Im in class B," she whispered enough for him to hear it, she glanced at the students staring at them, insecurity flooding her system and with small, hurried footsteps, she's gone.

* * *

The school bell rang as Gray made his way back on their classroom. Groaning, he dragged his feet towards the stair case, the book placed firmly between his arm and body.

_'She's in class B'_ he yawned quietly to himself as he turned into a corner, his steps became heavier even more.

He was reminded how she looked so _cute_ and troubled back there at the library. Of course, he felt embarrassed as well as he unconsciously yelled earlier. It's just when he thought of not seeing her again, dread gripped him instantly.

He stifled a laugh when her blushing, small face appeared on his mind.

Continuing his journey, his brows knitted together as he saw the sign 'C_lass 1-B'_ at one of the sign boards above the classroom's sliding door.

He ignored it but before making another step, he comically made a few steps back, peaking his head towards one of the window.

Some of the students were busy entering the classroom, some were chatting and were laughing lively. His eyes traveled across the room, from the far side of the classroom, seated next by the window, on the last row is Juvia.

She was sitting properly, her back straight and a bit stiff. Her palms were pressed firmly on her wooden desk, a book beside it.

He observed her for a second and he noted how she looked so nervous and stiff at the same time. He also saw how the other students ignore her. Well not completely ignoring, but it gave him the feeling that she has no friends.

_No friends? That's crazy._ He scowled.

He stared again at her quietly, and in that moment a girl unconsciously bumped Juvia's shoulder, probably in a hurry to make it on her seat.

The blue-haired girl only sighed, glancing at the window beside her.

His attention suddenly averted on one particular brown-haired girl. She is squealing noisily as he saw her point her index finger at him. "It's the _Ice prince!_ It's Gray-san~!"

The other girls squealed as well, it made the boy cringe in disgust.

"HE'S LOOKING AT ME!" the other one jumped happily. "No way! He's here to see me!" another girl rivaled.

What the hell?! Gray was shock, unable to move from his spot. His fan girls clasped their hands together, squealing: _'Gray-san~!'_

He immediately leaned back from the window and cursed himself as he realized how stupid and careless he was. It's not even right for him to peak on their room! And most of all not because of his reason to see if a certain blue-haired girl was really on that class.

He spared her another glance and he saw that she's still staring outside the window, looking at the sky peacefully, not caring about the cuss his fan girl's were making.

Somewhere from the back of his mind, he saw how she sadly look up from the bright, wonderful skies.

* * *

"Gray..." Erza Scarlet greeted him when he entered their classroom.

He nodded in his red-haired friend who is also their class president.

Gray sometimes even want to laugh how serious Erza is when it comes to her position, she is so dedicated and sometimes looking like an idiot and she even approaches her friends with such formalities.

"Oi, Natsu." Gray called as he placed the book on top of a snoring Natsu, his cheek pressed on his desk.

The boy stirred and cracked an eye open. "Yeah?"

"Here's the book." Gray lifted the said item before slapping it on Natsu's pink head.

"You wanna fight, Ice-brain!" he shouted, gathering some of their classmates attention.

"Fight like a man!" shouted Elfman, the giant in their classroom.

Gray smirked, lowering the book on the desk. "Challenge accepted, Flame-slave!"

They were about to throw themselves to each other when Erza appeared between them.

The two immediately became_ 'buddy-buddy'_, hugging each other tightly.

"Are you two staring a fight again?"

"No!" they chorused, sweat forming on their foreheads.

:

:

"Take care of that book," Gray punched his frenemy lightly on the arm. "Use it properly, 'kay?"

"Like I care!" Natsu replied childishly, opening the book with his careless hands.

"Hey Im serious!" scowled Gray.

"What if..." Natsu flipped a page, flicking it in the process.

Gray's eyes widened unbelievably. "Hey stop it!"

Nastu snickered as he repeated his action.

"Natsu!" Gray growled, ready to attack him. The pinkette whistled, ignoring his warning. He did another careless flip and the paper tore in half. Natsu's sneaky face fell into a frown.

"You idiot! What's your purpose!" the dark-haired teen shouted from the bottom of his lungs.

"I didn't mean it! It was accident Ice-freak!" Natsu defended. "but I look pretty awesome right?" the boy grinned, flicking his fingers in the air proudly.

"You shit! You don't get it!" Gray hissed, grabbing the book from his friend.

"Eh! It's only a book, Ice-princess!"

Gray's eyes darkened, he turned on his heel, leaving the noisy pink-haired guy.

"Oi, Im just joking!"

* * *

The next morning, Gray went straightly on the library. He sat on one of the chairs at the farthest corner of the quiet room.

He tried his best not to gather so much attention so he sat quietly on his seat, earphones plugged on his ears.

He needs to tell the girl what happened to the book. That Natsu deserves a full hour of beating from him later.

Crossing his arms in front of his chest, he scanned the room, eyes travelling back and forth from the door.

He decided to wait for her in the library. That would be the most safest place were he could properly have a talk with her.

Minutes passed, students already filled the empty seats. He saved the chair between him and the wall, placing his school bag on it.

He glanced up and finally saw her walking on one of the sections. She was clutching four books, he noted, on her chest, obviously placing it back on their shelves.

He gulped, swallowing the large lump on his dry throat. She walked even more until she's already standing in front of the table were he currently occupies.

"Hey..." he called quietly. The girl looked on her side distractedly, her eyes widened when she recognized him.

"Hello." she smiled, turning her body to face him. "It's nice to see you in here again."

He smiled stiffly before coughing to himself, placing his fist in front of his lips.

"H-have a seat..." he offered quietly, turning his head on the chair beside him.

Juvia smiled, nodding as she made her way towards the chair. Seating properly, she placed the remaining book on the table.

"Can I help you?" she flushed as she realized how guarded and far they were from the other students.

"Uhmm," Gray scratched the back of his neck, his lips on a tight line.

He didn't know why he's acting all weird, he is never weird when it comes to talking with girls. Well, there's Erza, Lucy, Cana, Levy and his other _girl-friends._ But why is he acting like an idiot, nervous even more just by starting a conversation with this particular girl?

He plucked his earphone away from his ears and glanced at her from the corner of his eyes. She's busy staring at the table in front of her and he's glad that he's not the only one who is feeling embarrassed and awkward at the same moment.

They both opened their mouths, attempting to start a conversation.

"I'm-"

"I need to-"

They faced each other, blinking. Juvia nodded and told him to go on, but Gray who is being a _gentleman_ today shook his head, telling her to go first.

Juvia looked down on her lap and smiled nervously, peaking at him shyly. "Well, I'm on duty right now so..." she paused. "What can I do for you?"

"I-Im sorry," he stammered, noting how shitty he was. Of course, the girl is on her _assistant-librarian_ mode right now, so he couldn't just ask her to sit beside him and talk. "No... I mean, I'm sorry for keeping you."

Juvia smiled understandingly, nodding. "It's okay. I'm just returning these books so I could have more free time later before our class starts. You know, morning duties." she shrugged, smiling.

"Yeah," he nodded as well, and he felt how sweaty his hands were.

_Was that hard to talk to a girl, Huh?! FULBUSTER?!_ he mentally punched himself.

_Dammit. He need to say something!_

"Y-you need help?"

_Nice try Fullbuster, Nice try._ He thought sarcastically.

"I-I'm fine!" the girl blushed. "It's only two books and Im done."

_Say something more, Ice-brain!_ And now, insulting himself is one of the choices.

He nodded, smiling faintly but nervously. "W-well..." he paused, trying to find the right words. "_Uhmm... Y-you me, uhm, want-"_ pause. "_classroom. walk. You_?" he glanced at her once again, and he swear his cheeks can rival Erza's hair right now.

"Im sorry. I ddin't get it." giggled Juvia soflty.

He cleared his throat, gathering more courage. "What I mean is..." another pause and he cupped the back of his neck. "We can walk together on our way to our rooms. Im in class A by the way."

_Geez Gray, she's not asking which class are you in._

She gaped at him for a second, her mouth opening and closing quickly. After gathering her wits she glanced on her side and mumbled a soft, "S-sure."

Gray can't help but smile, he nodded as Juvia told him to wait for her.

* * *

**Hello! Im all happy to see the positive reviews by you guys: dorac, starrystar02, Guest, Sarapyon, sam-coline, CaprisiousKrego, me ga mawaru, Juvia Loxar, Yumeko nee! And also to those who follwed and faved this story! You guys are awesome! I must say that this chapter is full of awkwardness and I like it~! Review your thoughts again guys! Thank you~ :)**


	3. Chapter 3

Book Quest 3

Gray waited patiently outside the library. He kept his left hand on his pocket while the other was holding is bag which he drapes on his shoulder with a tight grip.

Inhaling deeply, he is aware that his heart was thumping real hard inside his chest. Just what on earth he was thinking? Why did he suddenly asked the girl to walk with him?

Gray knew that he is confusing himself too much. Too much that he felt like his chest was tightening at every thought of those questions that kept on popping on his head.

_Because... You like her..._

His eyes became large, realizing what he just had on his mind. _No way! There's no way in hell that he'll like her! What the fuck his nickname_ "Ice-prince"_ was for?_

Of course, the great Fullbuster was known to be a cold person. Cold towards his fan girls which made him feel so annoyed every time they squeal about how he looked so cool when he ignores them. He is pretty fine with the other people, including those who have a special place in his heart... His friends.

Being a bad boy also gave him a lot of confidence. He likes to compete with his friends, especially to Natsu. And for him, it felt so great.

All in all, he really doesn't like to stand out too much. He is fine with the way how the others thought of him. Bad boy, cold... and doesn't care about those who is stranger to him.

He glanced at the large door that leads to the library. Gulping the large lump on his throat, he thought that it might change?

"Well I don't know..." he shrugged to himself as he straightened his back and waited for the blue-haired girl.

* * *

"What's keeping Gray?" Erza asked, muttering to herself as she checked their class attendance. It's rare for the black-haired teen to be this late, twenty-five minutes late to be exact.

Fortunately, their homeroom teacher was absent, and Erza being the class president didn't waste any time as she performed her duties.

"We separated form the entrance hall..." Natsu yawned, cupping his cheeks sleepily.

Erza nodded to his direction, proceeding on her task as she clutched a small clip board on her chest.

"Hey Natsu! You're being sleepy again..." Lucy asked beside him.

The pinkette, despite his drowsy state faced the girl, a silly grin on his face.

"It's because you kept me awake the whole night."

Lucy only looked down, blushing. "Look who's talking?! You're the one who kept on calling me last night!" she then hit his arm playfully.

Cana who is sitting behind the two laughed, her legs were placed on top of her desk. "They're cute right?"

She nudged Mirajane beside her. The white-haired girl nodded, smiling serenely as she watched the couple in front of them.

* * *

Juvia heaved a deep sigh after she returned the last book. She lowered her head, her fingers lingering to touch the returned book on it's shelf.

A large grin was plastered on her face. She cant even explain why is she grinning like that. It's ultimately rare for her to be like that. She then clasped both her hands under her chin, she squealed happily but careful not to attract anyone.

Right now she couldn't contain all the feelings bubbling up inside her. It's _warm, tickling_ and _funny._

Licking her bottom lip, she composed herself, but the smile remains on her face. She began to walked on the counter, her head lowered as she tries to hide her silly smile.

It's not actually her first time to have someone close to her, intimately. Well on her history, there's this guy who she used to date. They lasted about two months, but the guy suddenly broke up with her. He reasoned out all his thoughts to her and it lowered her self esteem.

_"You're too plain... and boring."_

_"You're so gloomy."_

_"You don't even smile."_

_"You don't even let me know your thoughts. You're all 'you first Bora-sama'."_

_"I don't like it."_

The girl grimaced at the memories. Juvia shook her head as she pushed it all aside.

That thing really made a huge impact to Juvia, it shook her inside and out.

Her poor, silly heart thought that love is all wonderful...

But now, having this feelings again, she knew that this _'wonderful'_ thing is different.

Despite how terrible her past love was, she really is determined to try this new one. Juvia didn't know that she would be this hopeful, this happy.

But there's still a thing, a small part inside her mind that tells her not to ask to much because she knows that she'll only end up hurt again.

* * *

"Im sorry!" Juvia panted as she rushed to Gray's side. "The head librarian made me get some papers first."

Gray blinked, looking down at the flushed blunette. "Uhm, It's okay..." he mumbled.

Juvia shook her head before glancing on her wrist watch. "I-Im really sorry," she bowed continuously. Gray's face immediately showed panic, his forehead sweating.

He attempted to hold her shoulders so he can steady her but failed due to her continuous bowing, instead he grabbed something soft, warm and squishy. And to his opinion, it's nice and amazing to touch.

Juvia's eyes widened when she felt something big and warm resting on her chest. Her cheeks right now were flaming brightly and she felt like fainting.

Gray on the other hand remained oblivious, staring puzzledly at Juvia's face. He squeezed the soft thing gently and the girl squirmed, moaning quietly. That's when he decided to look further down, and his eyes began to pop out of it's sockets.

His jaw dropped and he immediately jumped away from her, bringing a hand on his face as he tried to hide it. The Ice-prince rolled his eyes when he inhaled, he caught a very nice scent from his hand.

When Juvia felt the warmness of his calloused hands were gone, she hurriedly covered her chest with her arms, turning away from him.

Gray's face can now rival Erza's hair as he peeked at the trembling girl a few meters away from him.

"J-juvia, I didn't m-mean it!" he found the courage to apologize, grunting helplessly. "Ugh! I swear! It's an accident!"

Juvia clamped her hands on her red cheeks, she can actually feel the hotness of her face and whole body.

"-really, Im sorry..." Gray muttered, looking to his side. "I-Im not a pervert or anything! God, it's really an accident!"

Juvia swallowed, turning her head slowly to him as she peeked at him through her lashes.

By the moment Gray saw her red face, he even felt that he's also red in the face.

"I-It's too e-early for those kinds of things Gray-sama..." she whispered softly, biting her lip.

Gray almost dropped on his knees when he heard her calling him '_Gray-sama'._

Gulping for the nth time, he found himself walking towards her. Juvia's eyes on the other hand became larger and larger as he slowly closed the distance between them, he only stayed an arm length towards her.

"Im really sorry." He apologized again, blushing furiously.

Juvia found herself mesmerized at his flushing face but she knew how ground-shaking and nervous his inside was.

She nodded, looking to his chest instead as she felt her face beginning to heat again. "Y-yeah, J-juvia's sorry too... If she didn't over-reacted m-maybe that will be a-avoided."

"Let's just..." Gray started, looking to his side shyly.

"O-okay," Juvia getting what he meant agreed bashfully.

..

.

An awkward silence followed. Juvia mustering all her courage exhaled deeply, lifting her eyes to look up at him.

_Gray-sama is pretty tall. _

And the girl giggled mentally.

"G-gray-sama..." she spoke, "I- I think we need to get in our class r-right now... Juvia doesn't want to keep you bothered and-"

"N-No!" he waved his hands in front of him, "N-not at all!" he tried to lift the corner of his mouth, attempting to give her an understanding smile.

Yet, he couldn't do it and it only made the girl in front of him loose into a fit of giggle. "Come on Gray-sama..." She held her hand out to him.

Gray stared on her open palm then back to her small face. He raised a brow at her.

"I-If you dont like it-" Juvia quickly retracted her hand, realizing how forward she is. "Juvia is s-sor-"

"C-come on," Gray said as he tugged her previously offered hand, grasping it fully on his own, leading their way to their own classrooms.

Juvia followed obediently and was left staring on his broad back wonderingly.

_M-maybe Juvia can let herself hope..._ she mentally smiled to herself.

* * *

"Oi Gray!" Natsu yelled from top of his lungs as he saw his frenemy enter their classroom.

"Where have you been?" asked Cana, who is surprisingly on his side now.

"None of your business..." muttered the black-haired teen as he sat himself on his own seat.

Cana just shrugged, used to Gray being a tsundere, which is not a surprise to everyone.

"Oi! Gray!" Natsu called again, scowling. "Why you're face is so red?!"

* * *

**AN: okayyyyyyyyyyy~ I hope you like it and I apologize if it took me a week or two to update this one. Im really happy with your reviews guys! It's just- Im bursting with happiness and colors right now :D I love you all~! **

**The 'boob incident' even in the manga really made me laugh hard and I think of adding it in here :) And I know there's still a lot of shyness, blushing and stammering in this chapter, but come on guys! I need to develop this two further more *_* So... share me your thoughts about this chapter, criticisms are also welcome :) I dont mind you guys giving me one cause I know it's part of this whole thing, no once can avoid it ^^ also beware of my multiple grammar, punctuation errors! Sorry 'bout that!**

**Thank you again for reading~! Have a nice day and take care~! Muahhhh :***

**and also about FT's next chapter update... ugh~ who's excited? Me? Im not even calm about it. It's three chapters all in all and i heard it's 126 pages?!(Im not sure if it's true O_O) In just one update? Gosh, I can't wait for the next arc ^^ Hiro-sensei is really the best trollll, ever :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Book Quest 4**

Juvia walked quietly on her own. She's already on her way home when she forgot that it's her duty to work at the library.

It's not usual for the girl to be so occupied about some_ things.._. Forgetting her duty is also very rare to her.

Sighing, she entered the school premises again, dragging her feet on the process.

Upon reaching the library quarters, she offered Levy a smile and proceeded on the counter, assisting some students.

"Hey Juvia, Are you and Gray going out?" Levy asked out of the blue.

Juvia turned to her, eyes wide and cheeks flushing. "W-what did you say Levy-san?!" she asked back, surprised.

The much smaller girl gave her a tender smile before glancing at the stacks of borrowers card on her side.

"You don't need to be so flustered about it." Levy replied quietly. Juvia remained silent, blinking her eyes as she looked down on her lap.

"You know, it's rare for Gray to talk with someone, especially to a _girl."_

"Hm?" Juvia looked at the other blue-haired girl, her brows furrowed. "W-what do you m-mean?"

Levy gave a long 'mmm' before smiling at the girl. "Look, it's practically new to him to talk to someone who is obviously not on his league."

"We've been friends since middle school... We also have a few friends including Natsu, Lucy, Erza, Cana..." and the girl continued to mumble some unfamiliar names to Juvia.

"Gray only talks to us," Levy crossed her arms in front of her chest. "And when I said talk, I mean... Normal and he only approach those only he truly knows."

"He's not the type to talk with others. If your'e a stranger to him, you will remain a stranger... But I guess, he'll treat you as one of his colleagues if you had some normal and 'no feelings attached' conversation with him."

Juvia only stared at Levy, confused. "S-so... I guess, Juvia is a bother right?"

Levy gave her an horror look. "No way Juvia!"

"What I mean is... it's nice to see that Gray tries his best to talk with you."

"H-huh?!" Juvia leaned back, surprised on what the petite girl had said.

"Juvia, Im happy that Gray seemed to be interested in you~!"

Juvia's jaw drop. "L-levy-san!" she squeaked, looking down to hide her blush. "J-juvia is embarrassed..."

The girl only giggled, patting Juvia on the head. "I really like you Juvia."

At that, Juvia slowly glanced to Levy, a shy smile forming on her lips. "J-juvia likes you too."

The girl beamed once again, returning on her task, she remembered something. "Uhm, Juvia the book that Gray borrowed... it's already on it's due."

* * *

"Where is Gray?" this time, it's Cana's turn to ask.

Their small group of friends decided to eat their lunches together, it became their ritual every Friday.

"He said he'll skip for today." Lucy answered.

Natsu who is sitting between Lucy and Erza noisily munched on his bento. "I shaw im he in t' libwawy."

Lucy tilted her head to the side, looking questioningly at Natsu.

"What did I told you about talking with your mouth full?" Erza warwned quietly.

The pinkette gulped nervously, coughing as the food in his mouth flowed into his throat as well. "I said, I saw Gray heading to the library."

Cana's eyes widened, then she slowly leaned backwards then she burst into a fit of laugh. The brunette slapped Mirajane's back earning a small groan from the girl. "D-did you heard that?!" Cana laughed. "Gray? In the library?!"

That made Lucy giggle. Of course, it's not normal for Gray to go in there, for them, it's ridiculously funny actually.

Natsu rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

* * *

Gray Fullbuster quietly entered the library, looking around as if he is on a mission and was careful not to be busted.

His eyes landed on the counter, and there, he saw Juvia. Sitting on her usual spot when she is assigned on the counter.

He gathered all his courage, stepping forward carefully.

The boy unconsciously sat on the chair before walking further to the counter.

He looked down on his hands and saw them shaking._ W-what the hell is happening to me?_

He raised his face to look at the busy blue-haired girl, which he concluded that she didn't notice him.

Of course, there's a lot of students who are entering the library. He's no special to earn some attention from the girl. Gray decided not to make anymore actions as he agreed to sit on his spot quietly.

Minutes passed, he found himself tapping his foot impatiently on the ground. _What the hell did he even came here for?_

His eyes widened like saucers when he unintentionally looked up. Juvia is now standing in front of him, hands behind her while a tinge of pink was adorning her small face.

"G-gray-sama..." she greeted him, taking the seat in front of him.

Gray only nodded, unable to process some words.

The girl fidgeted nervously, twirling her fingers which she placed on top of the table. "Juvia is happy to see you in here..."

The girl closed her eyes firmly. _D-did I chose the right words?! _

Gray couldn't help but blush at Juvia's statement. He coughed surprisingly, glancing at her through his bangs.

_Juvia is happy to see you here..._

_Juvia is happy to see you here... _

_Juvia is happy to see you here... _

He is now in a trance where her soft voice is all he can hear, echoing inside his mind, telling him that she is _happy to_ see him...

"-so Juvia is wondering if you're already finished with the book?"

Gray snapped out of his thoughts. Raising a brow at Juvia because he only heard a few of her new statement.

"H-huh?"

Juvia smiled. _Gray-sama seems to be thinking about something..._

"Levy-san told Juvia that the book you borrowed is almost on it's due. So, Juvia is wondering if you're already done with it?

"Ah... Yeah," he smirked, nodding to himself as if he was just reminded by something important. "...the book, yeah..."

_BOOK. _

_"What if..." Natsu flipped a page, flicking it in the process._

_"Natsu!" Gray growled, ready to attack him. The pinkette whistled, ignoring his warning. He did another careless flip and the paper tore in half. _

_The paper tore in half. Tore. In. Half._

Gray smacked his forehead upon recalling the scene. He forgot about the goddamn book!

Juvia gasped, covering her mouth with her small hands. "A-are you alright?!" she asked.

"Y-yeah, the book." he muttered.

Juvia stared at him worriedly, "N-no... It's not time to talk about the book Gray-sama. Juvia is asking you if you're alright?" the girl asked firmly, and Gray found a fact about her: She's pretty stubborn when she's worried.

His inner self smiled awkwardly, and he could even imagine himself smiling like an idiot, from ear to ear to be exactly.

"Gray-sama are you alright?" repeated the girl, her voice was laced with deep worry and concern.

Gray nodded, looking up to her, he narrowed his eyes, composing himself.

"Y-you're forehead is red." she mumbled, pouting.

His cheeks flushed.

"J-juvia about the book," he quickly changed their topic, averting his eyes away from her pouting expression. "T-the book..."

Juvia waited patiently, her eyes soft.

_What should I tell her?! Damn you Natsu! You're going to pay for this._

"E-erm... let's meet at the park this coming Sunday. I'll return the book to you." he scowled, standing up and made his way out of the room.

Juvia stared confusedly at his back. It surprised her to see the quick change of his expression.

She stood up as well, eyes wide. Her chair made a loud noise as it fell backwards.

And before she could even call him, he already vanished from her line of sight and was left to process the words he had just told her.

No, not actually told her but c_ommanded her._

Slowly, her face became hot. She righted her chair, unconscious at the stares that the other students were giving her and sat breathlessly on it.

_A-are we going on a date?!_

* * *

**JUST A QUICK UPDATE~! Thank you for reading! :***


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thank you to: starrystar02, LaynieCakes, Medaka-chan, Sarapyon, little kitty~~! You guys really are awesome! Thank you for reviewing :) And also to those who fav'ed and followed~! Im forever grateful to you guys! You motivate me to write even Im pretty lazy :3 And one thing! I was actually going to personally (PM) thank you guys but Im pretty busy and was only lucky to update this one. Yesterday, I was about to update **'WINTER MARIA chapter 2'**... my method of posting or uploading documents in ff was like this: first, I'll upload an half-empty file here in ff, then Ill only edit it and continue writing/typing ideas on it until I finish the whole chapter. But unfortunately, google chrome crashed and Im bloody pissed -_-' It took a lot of my precious time and ideas. When I uploaded the document in here, it was like 200+ words only, but after I edit and add more scenes and ideas on it, It became 2000+ words, so yeah... who wouldn't be sad and angry at the same time if that happened? I poured all my emotions on tumblr and I still don't know when I'll be able to update **'Winter Maria'. **Honestly guys, I am deciding if I should mark it 'A Complete Story' already or still go on. Originally, it was only a one-shot but after a lot of thinking, I ended up continuing it. Btw, I have this secret to myself that if 'Winter Maria' reached 10 reviews or plus, I'll update it immediately but... things didn't go according to my plan... So... after the long talk, here's Book Quest's Chapter Five! Dun-du-dun~! Gomen for mistakes!**

* * *

**Book Quest 5**

* * *

Juvia fiddled on the strap of her shoulder bag, her dark blue eyes were glued on the floor.

"Am I too early?" she whispered to herself, biting her bottom lip nervously.

They agreed to meet before lunch, but the timid girl arrived two hours early.

Juvia is standing stiffly beside of one of the lamp post in the park. For a second, she let her eyes to look around.

Sighing, she hunched her shoulders forward. She began to fiddle the strap of her bag once again, "Was my dress nice?" she asked herself before rolling her eyes and frowning.

She's really terrible when it comes to dating. She knew how she overly-reacted to things and thinking about them doesn't give her any help.

"Yep," a deep voice answered, Juvia glanced to her side and was surprised to see a tall, lean man standing beside her.

"G-gray-sama!" she nearly jumped from shock, eyes wide and staring.

"Yo," The black-haired teen deadpanned, although his cheeks shows a very nice hue of pink.

The girl gulped nervously, her fingers and knees, _no,_ her whole body was now shaking. Her eyes traveled down on his outfit and she almost whispered a loud '_thank goodness...'_

He wore a simple black, v-neck shirt accompanied by a silver chain like necklace that has a pendant of a cross. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, showing the fine muscles on his forearm. His denim black, tattered pants made his appearance more rebellious, joined also by a few chains clipped from his belt to both of his pockets in the front. His graffiti designed high-cut converse also complimented on his attire.

And his usual unruly, spiky black-hair looked so messy as ever. "You're so early," mumbled the boy, looking at the distance.

Juvia on the other hand blushed at the mention. "Uhmm, yeah... S-sorry about that." her palms were now sweaty and she felt like the heels of her boots would be cracked in any minute because of the intense pressure she has been feeling.

She tucked a lock of fallen blue-hair behind her ear before looking up at him. "G-gray-sama is early as well..."

This time, Gray run his fingers through his raven hair, trying his best to cover up his expression with a hard scowl on his face. "Of course, the guy should always be the one to arrive first."

The blue-haired girl nodded, flushing furiously. "S-so..."

Gray turned to look down at her. This time, it was Gray who acknowledge her appearance for today.

She was wearing a light a creamy-peach knee-length shirt, it was sleeveless so her pale, blemish-free shoulders and arms were visible to his dark eyes. He also took note of her galaxy-designed leggings and her cute black boots that reached only her ankles which was designed with a small rose on each side.

He stared back on her face and he noticed that her hair was held by a high-ponytail, the locks falling behind her in soft waves of ocean blue. Her bangs were also clipped on the side, but there are still some stubborn strands which was not held by her butterfly clip.

Gray fought the urge to look away from her. Well, she really looks nice in casual clothes anyway.

"I-it's still pretty early Gray-sama." Juvia's voice distracted him, he nodded to her.

"Juvia is free for this whole day, that's why she thinks of looking around first and if you don't mind..." biting her lip, Juvia looked up at him with bluish, round, smoldering eyes. "w-would you like to j-join her?"

Looking at her intently, Gray managed to mumble a deep 'sure' before leading their way.

Gray has been trying to find the right words, the right topics to be discussed with her. He's pretty stupid to ask her to meet up with him so suddenly, he was sure that Juvia felt so threatened that's why she ended up agreeing on their meet up.

While walking silently, Gray was reminded how difficult it was for him to sleep last night. He had been tossing and turning himself the whole night, unable to take a deep sleep even just for a second. _Was going out with a girl was this difficult?_

He was actually bothered the whole time and spent the early morning deciding if he wore the right clothes, right in front of his mirror.

The boy was even bothered when his group of friends invited him to join their mini go out for the upcoming weekend, he, of course declined them, telling his reasons that he's not entirely on the mood for some going-out. But what surprised him was when Erza unconsciously accused him that he have a date this Sunday that's why he declined them.

"What a bunch of pain in the ass." he hissed, clenching his fist inside his pocket.

Juvia who was walking behind him and watching him the whole time frowned. She had this feeling that the reason why Gray only want to meet up was because of the book. There's no other reason behind it right? There's no way that Gray-sama would take Juvia on a date. Her imaginations should really have it's own limits.

Sighing defeatedly, the girl continued to follow the dark-haired teen, unable to suppress the sadness engulfing her heart.

..

.

The couple finally made their way on the station, Gray had asked her that he wanted to show her something and the blue-haired girl's eyes twinkled.

_S-so this is a date after all?!_ She panicked inside herself.

Gray only chuckled as they enter the train.

It was the typical Sunday of everyone. A lot of families were taking a stroll inside and outside the town so this only explains why it was so crowded inside the train.

The two of them were standing, facing each other and both took some glances to each other after each every time. Soon, the crowded train began to be filled by more and more passengers.

Juvia's back was now facing and pressed on Gray. People squirmed to get balance and the two was no exception.

Later on, Gray's head was now on Juvia's shoulder, his cheeks was pressed on the side of her head. They both awkwardly caught each other peeking, Juvia up at him, and Gray down at her. That caused for the two to feel heat on their cheeks.

Gray looked up and saw the man in front of Juvia staring at down at her. He knows what kind of look the man was giving Juvia, so Gray being protective and gentleman, encircled his free arm on Juvia's small waist. He earned a soft squeal from the girl and once he had his arm securely wrapped around her waist, Gray despite of the pressure, awkwardness and little space to move on, turn himself around along with Juvia.

The blue-haired girl was now facing a girl about their age, she sighed in relief before turning her head a little on the side to peek up at Gray.

Her whole face was now burning when their eyes met, she expected Gray to be looking anywhere but down at her because of what happened to their awkward, eye-contact earlier. She shook her head mentally and decided to do her purpose; she smiled up at him and whispered a soft 'thank you.'

That made Gray's heart to drum like crazy. He's not used to the feeling so he blushed as well.

However, a wave of great relief washed over him when Juvia thanked him. It only means that she, herself could also feel the rude man's stare.

His hand around her waist tightened, holding her close to him. Slowly, when the crowd finally lessened, he let his arm changed it's location.

He only wanted to make things clear okay, He's not a pervert or whatever but his arm was now on top of her collar bone, his hand gripping her shoulder gently. And he promised to tell her later the reason why he placed his arm in there. Of course, he needs to balance himself, so they would not end up in a tangle on the floor, and it was also more comfortable to place it there.

Juvia felt the change and a timid but silly smile formed on her lips. Using both of her hands, she placed it on top of his arm and squeezed it like it was her lifeline.

"J-juvia needs to balance herself Gray-sama..." she whispered and was hoping that Gray would actually hear her.

The Ice prince cannot control the grin spreading on his face as he moved his head to nod and whispered a husky 'yeah' on her ear.

* * *

Juvia stared at the large shelf in front of her. Gray-sama brought her to the City's largest bookstore.

"G-Gray-sama!" she visibly flailed, her eyes dazed. "W-what are we doing in here?!"

Gray scratched the back of his head, frowning. "W-well, about that book that I borrowed using your card is..."

She faced him, tilting her head to the side. "...is?"

"N-natsu's the one who tore it, I-I swear it's not me! I warned him but the fucking pink-haired clown didn't listen, he's an ass!"

Juvia only blinked.

"Im sorry, I didn't mean to shout." Gray scowled.

"N-no..." Juvia looked down on her boots. "I-it's just, Ju-juvia is not used on hearing bad words, It s-surprised her."

Gray's jaw dropped, his forehead sweating. "What the hell, Im sorry about that." He, again scratched the back of his head, shame evident on his face.

"It's fine now, Juvia thinks." the girl offered him a shaky smile before walking to the counter. "S-so Juvia is wondering where is the book right now?"

"I threw it away." Gray said simply with a scowl.

"G-gray-sama threw it a-a-away?!" Juvia couldn't believe what is happening right now. "You brought Juvia here so s-she could by a new one?"

"N-no!" Gray flailed, his scowl still present. "Of course, I'll be the one who should be responsible for it. Again, Im sorry for dragging you into this."

The shy girl shook her head, clutching the hem of her shirt nervously. "W-we can't do anything now." she smiled, encouraging him. "but Juvia thinks she also needs to give her share for the book."

Gray was about to complain again but Juvia held her index finger up, stopping him. "Were both responsible for this, Gray-sama." the girl giggled and Gray could only nod in reply.

* * *

"Im pretty hungry, where do you want to eat?" Gray asked the girl beside him.

Juvia held her breath for a moment, the more she thought of their trip, the more her heart was shouting with colors that she's not mistaken by calling it a _date._

"A-anywhere is fine with Juvia." she beamed at Gray.

They arrived at a cozy looking, restaurant. The two immediately took their seats, facing each other beside the window.

They were about to order when the large door of the restaurant opened widely, a small group of people entering and Gray's eyes quickly caught them.

Erza's red hair was the most noticeable, followed by Lucy who is walking behind her with the Noisy pink-haired boyfriend of hers. Cana's brown hair soon came to his sight, then Mirajane's white head. Soon, Elfman and Loke followed behind them, and there's Levy too.

His eyes were now popping out of it's sockets. Shit's gotta be kidding him! There's no way that they would accidentally run to each other, there's no way...

Juvia saw him and turned her around, she saw the group and turned her eyes back on Gray.

"A-are they Gray-sama's friends?" she asked, smiling up at him.

Gray was frozen on his spot. He stiffly looked back at Juvia, he's lips twitching in attempt to form a smile.

"Is it okay if Juvia greet them? Oh! And there's Levy-san!" she said excitedly as they saw the group settled on a large table.

"A-ano... Erm," Gray sweat dropped and turned to look back at Juvia. "N-no!"

"H-huh?"

"I-I mean..." Gray swallowed and reached for her hand which was placed on top of the table.

"G-gray-sama!" the girl visibly blushed.

He wrapped his fingers around her wrist and stood up. "Come on,"

Juvia puzzledly look at him then to his friends. "W-why? Gray-sama should atleast greet them and-"

He tug her forward until they were finally out of the restaurant.

* * *

Juvia is walking faster than usual, she didn't know where they are right now but she let the Ice prince led the way, his hands still around her wrist.

She remained silent except for the soft huffs she's creating. She looked on his back widely, she can't help but feel so depressed.

_Juvia only wants to greet them... they all seemed to be so kind and caring, so why did Gray-sama wouldn't let them meet Juvia?_

Realization struck her like a thunder. She gritted her teeth together as she fought for the tears forming on her eyes.

Why is she crying right now? She's already used of people ignoring her but why did it felt so painful?

His hand around her wrist tightened it's grip, unwilling to let go.

She knew why it was painful, because it was all about Gray.

_Juvia is being a bother again. Gray-sama doesn't like his friends to meet Juvia because she's too gloomy and boring to be with._

She strengthen her will and stopped herself from being dragged by the rushing black-haired boy.

He looked back at her, his eyebrows furrowing deeply forward. "Im sorry about that."

Gray knew what those bunch of idiots would think if they saw him and Juvia together. They would not stop teasing him and later on Juvia too. Their never-ending ruckus will only give the poor girl a hard time and he doesn't like to see her so troubled by them.

He calmed himself before speaking. "Hey Juvia, are you alright?"

The small girl only had her head lowered, her hair was now a mess, her butterfly clip was nowhere to be seen.

Juvia lifted her head and faced him squarely, her dark blue eyes shows no hint of any emotions, it's only dull and empty.

"Juvia remembered that she still has something to do." the blue-haired girl said simply, her eyes not blinking.

Gray sighed and run his free hand along with his messy, raven hair. "Im really sorry about what happened... It's just, those guys were-"

"Juvia knows..."

Gray flinched at her voice. He blinked and tried to cover his surprise with an apologetic smile.

"Juvia understands." the girl gave him a smile.

Gray lifted a brow at her, "Are you sure you're okay?"

She nodded, her smile still present.

"Come on now, let's find something to fill our stomachs." he grinned, his hands went down to hers, squeezing her smaller hand gently.

This time he tugged her gently forward but he looked back at her once again as she didn't make any movements. "Juvia let's-"

"Juvia has something else to do..." she repeated.

She slowly reached for his hands and unwrapped his fingers away from hers.

"Thank you for this day Gray-sama." and she turned around, leaving him all alone by himself.

Gray could only stare at her small back until she gets farther and farther away from him, later on she disappeared along with the crowd.

The black-haired teen could only swallow guiltily to himself as her previous sad smile appeared on his mind.

* * *

Review your thoughts again~! Motivate me puh-leaseee! :*


	6. Chapter 6

_Book Quest 6_

* * *

It's been week since the last time Gray saw the blue-haired girl. He's aware that the girl was completely trying her best for them not to cross their paths.

The black-haired teen spared some of his time by visiting the library, as usual hiding himself at the farthest corner of the whole area. He's been doing that kind of thing since Monday, and no matter how hard it is for him, he still doesn't want give up.

All he wanted is to see Juvia again.

He sighed, as he made his way through the library, _again._ Plopping himself on his usual spot, he put both of his arms on top of the table and brought his forehead down on it.

_This is really frustrating!_ He hissed to himself, something is really wrong.

He lifted his head and stared at the possible sections were the blue-haired girl would be. His eyes traveled across the library counter where, for a second, he saw a blob of blue hair. But upon squinting his eyes, it was after all, Levy not the girl he was looking for.

The school bell rang, signaling the end of lunch break. Students inside the library gathered their things and prepare to leave. Gray only stayed on his spot, bending his head to place it on top of his arms on the table again. Sighing, he closed his eyes, not caring if his homeroom teacher would send him to detention because of class cutting.

..

.

His dark eyes opened when he felt something hard bumping on his head. He lifted his head from the table with an disgruntled groan.

"You bastard..." growled someone in front of him. Gray's eyes widened when he recognized the familiar voice. "So this is your new hiding place, huh?" another bump, harder this time.

"E-erza..." Gray stuttered, his left brow twitching.

The red hair girl was standing in front of him across the table, her bangs were covering her eyes as she releases some dark aura around her.

Gray brought his hands in front of him, "H-hey..." his voice cracked.

"What're you doing in here?" hissed the furious girl, her hand was clenched into a fist once again. "Why did you skip the class?"

Gray gulped, his eyes unconsciously saw some other students looking at them, Levy as well.

At a distance, he caught another blob of blue and this time he's sure that it's not Levy, he blinked his eyes and saw Juvia standing a few distance from them, behind Erza.

He automatically shot up, ignoring his fuming red-haired friend. Erza pointed an accusing finger at Gray but soon surprised when Gray shoved her hand slowly out of his way. "H-hey!" Erza hissed, brows in deep V.

Gray paid no attention at her, he still made his way towards the blue-haired girl.

Juvia saw him walking to her direction. The shy girl quickly covered her face with the book on her hands, stepping side wards as if searching for somewhere to hide herself.

"Juvia..." Gray called when he's already an arm length away from Juvia. He stopped in front of her, a boyish smile on his face.

Gray was aware that he's smiling. He's just happy to see her again. Imagine, a whole week without seeing this cute girl is really bad.

_Cute Girl?_ He shook his head, mentally erasing what he had admitted. "It's been a week." he mumbled casually, not sensing how Juvia triesher very hard to hide herself from him.

Juvia pouted behind the book. "I-im not Juvia." she squeaked, shutting her eyes close. As mush as possible she doesn't want to talk to him. Yeah, talk to Gray. She just want to give him his personal space, after all, he doesn't like her meeting his friends, r_ight?_

She heard him chuckle, obviously amused by her false statement. She peeked at him, her cheeks blushing.

There he is, grinning like an idiot while kneading the back of his neck.

"Why are you laughing?" Juvia frowned, removing the book from her face completely.

The boy immediately stopped, his face fell into a shy expression. "..."

Erza who followed her Gray's track appeared between the two conversing people.

She eyed Juvia meticulously, the girl leaned back surprisingly, her cheeks burning.

"Who are you?" Erza didn't mean to be rude, it's just she's really curious about Juvia. It's her first time seeing the said girl and it really surprised her when he saw how Gray reacted towards her.

"I-Im Juvia Lockser, Maam." Juvia whispered, looking down on her toes._ Erza immediately grinned 'Oh she's pretty polite'_ she already likes the girl.

"Ohoho~" Erza smiled knowingly, crossing her arms above her bust. "You're such an adorable girl, Juvia... You know respect." the red-haired girl eyed Gray on her last sentence.

The black-haired teen only scowled, "What the hell are you doing in here?" he suddenly blurted out. And before he could even realized what he had just said, Erza gave him a death glare.

The words slipped from his mouth quickly. He's not usually like that around Erza, Natsu and the rest of their group are all scared to death to the red-haired girl. So why is he acting so cool now?

He felt a stinging pain on his ear, not realizing that Erza is already pinching his right ear.

"Ow ow ow!" Gray groaned, he looked at Juvia who is staring openly at them.

They're eyes met and Juvia quickly averted her eyes away from them. Erza is now grinning, obviously enjoying how the black-haired teen was suffering right now. Her eyes also moved, landing on Juvia who is fidgeting.

"Do you know Gray?" asked the brusque woman.

Juvia nodded silently.

"I see..." the girl nodded as well, then she stopped. Gray knew that something was now hitting Erza's head. She wrapped her hands around Gray's neck and ducked him down, having him in a head lock.

"Is she the girl you're with last Sunday?"

"W-what?!" Gray exclaimed, not expecting that one.

"We all knew that you're going on a date! And Loke saw you at the restaurant!"

"Loke?!"

Damn that lion, cursed Gray. The guy really had a nice sense when it comes to revealing other people's business.

Juvia who is quiet the whole time, pretended that she didn't heard their hush voices. It was really audible and the students around them are hearing them as well.

"Uhmm..." Juvia approached them, leaning forward so she could make sure that they can hear her. "Juvia doesn't mean to pry but Im not with him last Sunday."

Gray's eyes went to her, disbelief appearing on his face. Erza released the poor boy, nodding understandingly at Juvia.

"Okay," she shrugged, then looked back to Gray. "Meet us on the gate, Natsu and the others are already waiting..."

The sudden change of the red-haired girl surprised Juvia. Minutes ago, she was fuming about Gray cutting classes, she had Gray in a head lock, and now she demands him to meet with them later.

"See you next time Juvia." Erza smiled, nodding towards Juvia, and with that she left.

…

.

Her dark blue eyes went to the silent boy in front of her.

"Did you just deny that you're with me last Sunday?" Gray asked exasperatedly. He frowned at Juvia,_ Am I that_ _bad?_

Juvia looked away, "Juvia's just saving you Gray-sama. I know that you wouldn't like it if your friends found out that you're hanging out with Juvia."

He raised a questioning brow at her. "Im sorry?"

"Last Sunday," Juvia turned to look at him, clutching the book in front of her chest tightly. "You-... You."

Gray grabbed her wrist, not waiting for her to explain things. They were going to talk about it privately.

* * *

He dragged her up to the roof top. Still scowling, he released her and the girl panted softly.

"Now let's talk." Gray demanded, narrowing his eyes as he tries to contain the frustration inside him.

Juvia clears her throat before speaking, "You don't like your friends to meet Juvia because she's such a bad influence. Juvia knows that."

That made Gray gaped at her. "What?!" he asked irritatedly, "Who the hell told you that you're a_ fucking_ bad influence?"

The blue-haired girl shook her head, still clutching the book on her chest, her eyes staring down at the floor, swelling with tears.

Seeing her like that made Gray pass a hand on his face, he sighed deeply before placing his hand on both of her shoulders.

"Why are you thinking that you're a bad influence?" he asked, now calm and patient.

Juvia lowered her head even more. "Back then, kids don't like Juvia because they said that she's a bad influence." the girl confessed quietly.

Gray swallowed and was not aware that he has been holding his breath for the whole minute. Maybe that's the reason why she's always distancing herself to others?

"Juvia is really grateful to be your friend Gray-sama." the girl smiled sadly, "She's happy because you talk to her," she paused and looked at him in the eye. "You even invited her to go out."

Gray's face softened, the crease on his forehead disappearing.

Now he knows why the hell she's been ignoring him for the whole week. Juvia is distancing herself because she thought that Gray doesn't like her to be a part of his friends.

He sighed and his gripped on her shoulders tightened. "Look," he looked at her as well. "the reason why I did that," he emphasized the word_ 'that_' as he refers at the moment he disagreed of her greeting his friends. "is because I don't want to trouble you. You don't know how stubborn those brats are, if they found out about you... T-they might tease you all the way, and I know you're not used to it."

Juvia listened to him intently, nodding.

"It's not that I don't want you to make friends _with my friends._ I just want to protect you, Erm..." he paused, blinking. "You should've told me about your feelings, really."

Juvia bit her bottom lip, her brows furrowing. She feels so bad. Well, her Gray-sama is only trying his best to protect her from them.

"They're all a bully," he said, smirking at the thought. "You should've notice it a while ago, with Erza I mean."

Juvia couldn't help but smile as well. "But Juvia thinks that they're wonderful."

"Yeah," he nodded, smirking again. "But they're all a bully and I mean it." he dropped his hands from her shoulder, smiling. "You should hear this story, this came up when were in middle school..."

And the Fullbuster boy went on a long tale about his nakama's. Juvia participated excitedly, nodding and even laughing at every funny thing that Gray would said.

At that moment, Juvia could feel her heart swell. And today, she had just come into a conclusion: No doubt, she really likes Gray-sama.

…

.

After their friendly chat, Gray forgot the time and remembered that he still had his friends waiting for him.

"Crap," he slapped his forehead. When he was rambling about his moments with his friends earlier, he forgot and even asked the girl to walk her home.

Well, he can't let go now. He sure enjoys his time with Juvia and he couldn't hide the stupid grin spreading on his face when Juvia agreed on it.

Then an idea hit him. This might be the good time for Juvia to meet them.

The girl hurriedly made her way outside the library, she retrieve her school stuffs first, asking Gray to wait for her outside the library.

The two went off and Gray tried his best not to look so nervous as he saw his friend's figure waiting by the gate.

Juvia who is walking behind him, giggled silently. "Are you alright Gray-sama?" she asked, tilting her head to the side, smiling.

Gray rolled his eyes. "Are you trying to say that Im scared of them?" he smirked and the girl burst into a fit of giggle.

He like seeing her like that and without realizing it they already made it to the gates.

Natsu was sitting on the ground, he had his head slumped on Lucy's shoulder, who's sitting -on a crouching position- as well, her school bag in front of her legs to cover her modesty. Erza who's obviously, releasing some steam from ears were also red like her hair -Gray gulped at that- The Strauss siblings were no where to be seen, probably attended their club activities. Cana, who's leaning on the wall was taping her foot on the ground, whistling. And there's Loke, who's quietly tinkering his phone.

"Hey!" called Gray, still keeping up his_ I-don't-know-that-you're-all-still-waiting_ attitude.

Walking home with everyone is already natural to them, that only made the teenager's bond to strengthen even more.

"You!" Erza shouted in rage, ready to punch Gray when she noticed someone behind him.

At first, Lucy thought that it was Levy. Oh sure, she even thought of surprising the girl with a hug but when she finally had her eyes carefully looking at the girl, she's sure it was not Levy.

She had the same blue hair with Levy, but a bit lighter and it was wavy and long. She's taller as well, had a pale complexion, and also had a curvacious body. No, not that she's mocking Levy's body figure, Lucy's just aware that the last time he saw her best friend she is a small and petite kind of girl.

"Juvia!" Erza said, and that caught the others attention.

Gray stepped aside, revealing the shy girl behind him. She had her hand fidgeting again.

"Guys I want you to meet Juvia." Gray waved his hand towards Juvia. "Juvia this is Erza,"Gray pointed at the red-haired girl, giving Juvia a 'you-already-met-her-right-?' look. "This pink haired clown over here is Natsu,"

"Yo!" Natsu grinned but soon 'tch-ed' as he heard what kind of introduction he got from Gray. "Wanna fight you-"

"And this girl beside him is Lucy," Lucy stood up, offering Juvia a hand, a bright smile on her face.

"Hi Juvia!" they shook hands and Juvia blushed, smiling shyly.

"This is Cana..." Gray pointed at the brown-haired girl who had a silly smile on her face, she then looked at Gray, winking at him.

"And lastly-"

Gray didn't even got the chance to finish his sentence when he saw Loke kneeling in front of Juvia, kissing her knuckles.

"Hello Juvia-chan..." said Loke in his most flirtatious voice, Lucy cringed, she also became a victim of that voice.

Juvia gasped, surprised by the contact, she had her cheeks blushing healthily.

Gray pulled Loke away from her, his face in a deep scowl. "Hands off."

Loke smirked, holding his hands in front of him. "Calm down, Ice prince."

Gray then looked back at Juvia who's still shy and blushing, he furrowed his brows._ This is not good..._

The orange-haired boy chuckled as he witnessed how alert Gray was when he touched Juvia. Sure, he knows that things are pretty interesting between the two.

Being the womanizer of the group, Loke could actually saw the score between the two of them, seeing also how displeased his black-haired friend was when he advanced himself towards the blue-haired girl is very interesting.

Things is getting more and more intense. He thought, nodding his head to himself.

"Juvia-chan," Loke interrupted their moment, smiling boyishly. "Can I get your number?"

Juvia could only stare at the guy. Slowly, she smiled shyly at him before turning her eyes on Gray.

She's happy that someone from his friends likes her (aside from Levy-chan), well it was not only Loke, everyone of them seemed to be so welcoming and Juvia just loved the fact.

But upon looking at Gray, she felt the hair on the back of her neck stood up. "G-gray-sama?" she asked nervously, putting a hand on his stiff shoulders.

Gray was looking at Loke with venom, his lips in a tight line. Erza and Cana who's watching along with Lucy and Natsu could tell that Gray was holding his temper, as if not to punch his friend squarely on the face.

* * *

**author's note: starrystar02 Juvia Loxar Medaka-chan mariarassie MysteryGruvia dorac Sarapyon me ga mawaru Miya Minako, Thank you guys for reviewing chapter 5! Those who followed, alerted and added this also on their fave'd list, Thank you! **

**Sorry for the long delay~ I know Im bad cuz I published another story and didn't even bother to update my first baby (Book Quest LoL) yeah, they're my babies xD **

_So... who's sensing what will happen on the next chapter? *smirks* leave a review please *O* And about Loke's advancements towards Juvia is pretty interesting right? I know you're wondering why I use Loke (obviously, it has to be Lyon) he's a lady's man and I think he fits the role as well... And about Lyon, will see him on the future chapters xD I have better plans for him, LoL_


	7. Chapter 7

_Book Quest 7_

* * *

Juvia let out a surprise squeak when she felt Gray's large hand gripped her shoulder.

Her dark blue eyes darted over his locking jaw, his eyes were fixed on his orange-haired friend.

"What did you say?" he asked deeply and Juvia swallowed nervously.

Gray shoved her behind him, covering her being from Loke's eyes.

"I asked for Juvia-chan's number." replied Loke, smiling cooly as he stubbornly made a step forward, advancing on Juvia again.

Before Gray could lift his left hand to stop or probably punch his friend, Lucy stepped between them, a nervous smile on her face.

"H-hey guys..." Lucy held, both of her hands in front of her, facing Gray.

Natsu stood up as well, placing his hand on Loke's shoulder. "Hey man, I think Ice pants is not in the mood for teasing." Loke's smile only widened. "You know Im not talking to him."

Natsu's eyes traveled to his girlfriend. Lucy nodded in return.

"I think this is enough for today, right?" she turned at Gray, who's still glaring at Loke. The blue-haired girl peeked curiously from his shoulder, tip toeing.

"Since it's already late," Erza walked in, wrapping an arm around Juvia's shoulders. "Why don't you walk Juvia home, Gray?"

The black-haired boy broke off his glare towards Loke, glancing on his side.

He slowly nodded his head, without looking at anyone of them, he grabbed Juvia and wrapped his arm around her shoulders protectively.

.

"Im sorry..." Juvia looked down as they stopped at the park. Gray had finally cooled down, the last thing he wanted Juvia to see is when he punch someone in this face. He leaned back on the bench, sighing.

"If you didn't introduced Juvia to them, this could be avoided." the girl continued to talk, peeking at him through her thick lashes.

The raven haired teen turned his dark eyes on the bluenette, scowling. "It's not your fault Juvia. If Loke could only hold his tongue for a minute, this could be avoided."

Again. The girl looked down on her lap guiltily. "Juvia should be contended, she only ruined your-"

"Shut up," Gray snapped already, he's already tired of Juvia always blaming herself.

Juvia wore a surprised look on her face, her mouth hanging open. She didn't expected Gray to snap at her like that.

Silence fell over them. Both looking away from each other. Another minute passed and Juvia finally stood up.

"Juvia needs to go now," she spoke quietly, her eyes glued on the ground. She bowed lightly, her long, wavy blue hair falling in front of her. "Sorry for the trouble." then she turn around.

Gray shot up and quickly extended his arm in front of him. Fortunately, he managed to reach the bluenette's elbow. "Juvia," he said deeply.

The girl looked at him and was surprised to see his sudden change of expression in the face.

He looked like he was about to cry. Like a child pleading to be forgiven because he made his parents upset.

"Gray-sama." Juvia turned around, facing him. She worriedly placed her hand on his. "A-are you-" but before she could even finish her sentence, Gray pulled her forward.

Juvia collided on his hard chest, the bluenette blushed at the contact immediately. "W-what do you think of Loke?" asked Gray quietly.

Juvia moved her head to the side, her face on his shoulder. "Juvia thinks he's nice." she answered innocently.

That made Gray to tightened his hold on her hand. "H-he's a playboy." he objected, searching for the right words to tell her.

"He's always playing with girls, even in Lucy, Erza, Cana, Mira, Levy..." and he went on, saying unfamiliar names of girls.

Juvia thought for a second, there is only one thing that Gray wants to tell her.

"Okay." Juvia nodded, "but Juvia thinks of him nicely as a person, we only met today that's why Juvia needs to be polite and-"

"Do you like him?"

She blinked rapidly, the question made her blush. "Y-yes..." and she felt Gray's breath hitched. "b-but as a person only, a friend!" she quickly amended. Gray sighed in relief. "Good then. But I'm telling you, don't get close to him too much."

"Juvia knows, and she wants to thank Gray-sama for warning her." she smiled then she felt Gray pulling away from her. He's already smiling but it looked so drained. "When he asked for your number," he kneaded the back of his neck. "You smiled and..." a blush appeared on his cheeks. "D-did you consider giving it to him?"

Gray punched himself mentally. How dare he ask something so forward like that?! How could he?!

He was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard Juvia's soft giggle. "Even if he asks for it, Juvia will not give it to him."

Gray gulped. Since he already knew Juvia for a longer time than that playboy, he can get it right?

_Nice Idea Fullbuster._

He smiled at her nervously, still blushing.

"T-then how about me? Would you give it to me?"

Juvia blinked her eyes, "What will Juvia give you?" she asked, puzzled.

_Ugh... Why is this so hard?!_ Gray sweat dropped. "I mean, your number."

"Oh... that?" Juvia said softly. "Juvia can't."

That made Gray really want to punch himself.

"Im sorry, I knew that kind of move is really forward-"

"It's okay." the girl smiled, "Well Juvia can't give Loke-san her number because she will not give it to him." she locked her eyes with him. "But if it's Gray-sama, Juvia will gladly give it. But the problem is..."

"Problem?"

The girl nodded. "Juvia doesn't have a phone."

Gray's eyes widened, the fact the the girl doesn't have a phone really surprised him.

"Are you serious?" Even kids nowadays have their own phone!

Juvia blushed embarrassedly. "It's n-not that Juvia doesn't know how to use one, " she flailed. "Juvia has a laptop and exchanging e-mails are much easier."

Gray nodded, holding his left palm in front of her. "Okay, I get it." his other hand went down to hold hers, a boyish smile on his face, the girl squeaked at his action. "Come on, I'll take you home now."

* * *

The next day, Juvia found herself standing in front of her locker.

The moment she opened it, water flowed and all her stuffs splattered on her feet.

Her dark eyes were wide, her whole body stiff. "W-what?" she muttered as her eyes began to water.

She looked around and saw some students pointing at her, some are whispering, some are laughing.

Her eyes rolled from side to side, her forehead sweating. She bent down to pick up her stuffs that she placed on her locker, now messy and wet. She also noticed that some of her notebooks had some messy and unfamiliar writings on it, saying: _Bitch! Stupid! Feeler! Ugly! Gray-sama will not like you!_ And some other curses.

Her indoor school shoes was also in a mess, she lifted it and saw mud inside it. "N-no..." she breathed weakly, her eyes tearing. She quickly gathered all her things, her hands shaking. As soon as she finished, without looking at any of the students who are laughing at her, she run out of the school building and headed for home.

* * *

AN: Bully alert! Who could it be? Hmm... I want to thank Miya Minako Guest me ga mawaru for reviewing ^^ and those who added this on their follow list xD Gray's kida OOC, yeah?

Okay, I want to tell you guys that my other fics will be on a hiatus. I decided on finishing Book Quest first, but maybe I can update some of them when Im in the mood :) So good luck to me~! Thank you again!


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